Darth Mutialatus
Darth Mutialatus is a leading member of the Third Order and the primary antagonist in Across the Portal: Interference and the secondary antagonist in Across the Portal: Insurgence and Across the Portal: Intuition. He is the apprentice and right-hand man to Xerin Hedashield. Biography Early life (?-260 BBY) Darth Mutialatus was born sometime prior to 268 BBY at the height of the Galactic Republic. His childhood and background are both incredibly mysterious. Eventually, he joined the Order of the Sith Lords, eventually ascending to the rank of Dark Lord of the Sith. In keeping with the Sith Lord Darth Bane's Rule of Two, which limited the Sith to a Master and apprentice, the Sith Lord began looking for someone worthy of his teachings. In 268 BBY, he sensed an extreme vantage point of raw power and incalculable intellect — an infant named Xerin Hedashield. In the mix, he formed an alliance with an extremely powerful Force entity named Vato. Serving the Third Order (259-240 BBY) Joining Xerin Hedashield Ten years later, when Hedashield was in junior high, Darth Mutialatus somehow fell from grace and became homeless. Mutialatus grew fearful, worried that he would never be able to continue the Rule of Two. Eventually, he came into regular contact with Hedashield, who gave him a new purpose. She told him of her plans, of a new order she was planning to create because she was determined to bring glory to the galaxy through her own rule, as she sought to order things according to her own judgement, an organization that would be known as the Third Order. Because Mutialatus saw her potential to amass vast resources to help them both profit, and Hedashield could not resist linking her future organization with the Order of the Sith Lords, Mutialatus promised to serve her the moment she located an ideal base of operations. Two months after their promises to each other, Hedashield somehow discovered a science tower on a planet called Der Erebolten and decided it would suffice for the Third Order's headquarters. Upon learning that Hedashield had rigged several droids to capture the tower for her, and was now recruiting individuals in high places, Mutialatus fled with her to Del Erebolten. Servant of the Supreme Leader Dozens of powerful or influential rogues based on Der Erebolten and served Darth Mutialatus, who acted on Hedashield's orders thus creating the Third Order. While Mutialatus gave most of the orders and generally appeared to be in charge, Hedashield, who remained isolated inside her private chamber, closely monitored him, telling him what to do and what orders to give, and essentially becoming the Supreme Leader of the organization she founded. Darth Mutialatus spent the next few years before the Conflict of the Numbers gathering followers in beings who called themselves, collectively, members of the Third Order. Some were, like him, supportive of Hedashield's vendetta against the Galactic Republic or the Jedi Order; while others were greedy for domination, wealth and fame; and yet others joined the Third Order out of fear. Darth Mutialatus considered them more like servants than friends or family. According to the Wraith, Darth Mutialatus also used blackmail, deception, and false conscription to get beings to join the Order willingly. He also appeared to have some degree of authority over a relatively formal organization called the Grabbers, a band of mercenaries subordinate to the Third Order. He seemed to have a bad relationship with one of them, Yaxa, thinking he lost his rank as an Admiral for a good reason. The book's opening scene sees Darth Mutialatus scaling the planet of Coruscant, the political center of the galaxy. When one of the patrol staff attempted to intimidate him, Mutialatus stood him down and the troops presumably proceeded into the planet's atmosphere. This event was witnessed by a commoner named Kristen in a dream. Seeking the Pearian However, Yaxa and Marion lost track of their priorities and attempted to kill the Pearian, who escaped. Marion contacted Mutialatus, who relayed the call to Hedashield, reveling in the death sentence the Grabbers would receive from her. Mutialatus realized from Marion's report that a Jedi Padawan named B'en'jamin Thorrn was accompanying Kristen. Darth Mutialatus spoke with Hedashield, and they agreed that two Grabbers would not be enough to try again. Conflict of the Numbers (239-238 BBY) Skirmish on Der Erebolten Fleeing into the bowels of the fortress, Kristen and B'en'jamin Thorrn were joined by Captain Cole, who had chosen to betray the Third Order. With his help, they moved to destroy Xerin Hedashield once and for all. Before this could happen, however, a lightsaber blade suddenly appeared through Captain Cole's chest. A hooded figure, having used Force cloak to get near the captain, was revealed to be the wielder of the blade. Darth Mutialatus watched as Kristen and Thorrn narrowly managed to escape. Hedashield took the chance to reveal that she had been seeking out an apprentice for Darth Mutialatus on the Holonet, which her access to was all but unlimited. Several individuals volunteered, finding this idea an honor. Hedashield was particularly impressed by a small Twi'lek boy named Thomas Slovak, though she told Mutialatus that the choice was entirely up to him. Massacre on Alderaan With the Third Order struggling to keep their actions silent from the peering eyes of the Jedi Order, they brought about several casualties. The Conflict of the Numbers had officially begun. The day after the Pearian escaped with Thorrn, Mutialatus was dispatched to Alderaan by the Supreme Leader to force its inhabitants to forge several powerful war machines. Although he had never been ordered to, Mutialatus massacred three quarters of the population (possibly for no reason at all). Mutialatus' crusade lasted for five months. Unbeknownst to him, Hedashield had decided to torture him for failing her when he was finished, as she decided to preserve his trust and energy long enough for him to accomplish his mission. At some point during the early stages of the Conflict of the Numbers, Darth Mutialatus took the Twi'lek male Thomas Slovak as his pupil, just as Hedashield suggested. He named him Darth Vadermort. Mutialatus and Vadermort were dedicated to advancing the Grand Plan, which was a Sith imperative focused on destroying the Jedi Order and the Republic. Return to Der Erebolten Darth Mutialatus was summoned to Xerin's private quarters by use of a rock animated by the Dark side of the Force. When he arrived, Hedashield expressed her confidence in Mutialatus. But in light of her apprentice's failure at the hands of two children, coupled with the murder of Captain Cole, Hedashield's faith in Mutialatus' power began to waver. She proceeded to chastise him, calling him "weak and shallow of mind". Enraged, Mutialatus threatened to kill Hedashield, but she quickly knocked him unconscious with a blast of Force lightning that caused him to roll around on the floor in agony. He was carted out by Lieutenant Juliah, but the concentration of lightning continued paining him for the rest of the day, ending only when he awoke in the morning. Provoked by Hedashield's torture, and having resumed his quest to eradicate the Jedi, Darth Mutialatus began massing large armies of stormtroopers and began consulting with Vato more consistently. Attack on Tatooine Battle of Coruscant During the Battle of Coruscant, Darth Mutialatus led the Third Order into war on the orders of Xerin Hedashield, who was watching him from in a portable tower. Under his leadership, the Order killed many Jedi as well as a number of innocent civilians. Suddenly, Kristen and the Men of Thorrn burst out of the Temple and charged the troops. When this happened, Mutialatus noticed Phoenix and Victoria of the Men of Thorrn hunting down Hedashield, and came to her rescue. When the Padawans found the Supreme Leader, Darth Mutialatus snatched Victoria and impaled the adolescent through the torso with his lightsaber. An enraged Thorrn broke off to pursue the Dark Lord, but Hedashield turned in fury and shouted at him. Mutialatus presumably escaped as did the rest of the Order following Thorrn's capture and Master Deor's death. Search for Kristen (238 BBY) Liberating Vato Before long, Darth Mutialatus noted a humming inside his head and realized the Supreme Leader was calling out to him. He allowed himself to enter a trance where he could appear to Hedashield across deep space in a metaphysical form. Hedashield warned Mutialatus that he had received his final chance for redemption. .]] Battle of Mustafar However while both Mutialatus and the new General had just been searching for all the Jedi, they found Kristen. Darth Mutialatus charged into battle, taking out at least one blaster-wielding civilian with his lightsaber. Dueling the Pearian Darth Mutialatus was suddenly intercepted by Kristen expressed her curiosity if they would ever meet again, causing Darth Mutialatus to tell her that her purpose had been served and it was time to die. Kristen asserted that if she was alive, then that meant her life's purpose was actually unfulfilled. Mutialatus expressed a lack of interest in going down "rhetoric lane" and demanded that Kristen surrender. Pointing out that a wise leader sought to use diplomacy before reaching for a weapon, Kristen drew her lightsaber. Instead of responding, Darth Mutialatus cut a hole in the ground around them, confusing Kristen as they were left trapped in a ring. However, he then used the Force to send the space in front of the ring shooting upward, shocking Kristen and forcing her to stumble over and cling to the shard of metal for dear life. When they were hundreds of feet in the air, Mutialatus stopped the shard's ascension as Kristen struggled to her feet, her weapon in hand. The two charged at each other and engaged in a fierce battle for the galaxy. With the training privately given to her, Kristen wielded her lightsaber expertly against Darth Mutialatus, who was able to absorb many of the blows without being badly wounded, before claiming to have expected more and grabbing Kristen in a Force choke, claiming that he was the future of mankind while Kristen, due to her refusal to leave the Jedi path, was no one. Kristen, summoning her strength, telekinetically lifted Mutialatus off his feet and threw him towards the lava, breaking his concentration and forcing him to release her, in order to save himself. He swung back and over the ledge, where Kristen was waiting to slash him, but he simply feinted and, in a blur, slashed her in the leg. He then went for her stomach, but Kristen managed to absorb the weapon in her hand, forcing the Sith Lord to fearfully deactivate his lightsaber. Kristen gathered a burst of energy to fight back, but Darth Mutialatus pinned her down and knocked the wind out of her by punching her head. Dragging her onto the edge of the shard as she tried to recover, Mutialatus pulled her hair and forced Kristen to watch on as his army assaulted her allies on the rock banks. Mutialatus began tormenting Kristen, claiming he would kill everyone in the galaxy despite Kristen's efforts. However he then witnessed the arrival of B'en'jamin Thorrn with several Padawans and the members of the Men of Thorrn had came to help. He taunted Kristen with the idea of murdering Thorrn slowly with a butter knife for switching sides. However, Kristen unexpectedly allowed herself to fall out of the sky, forcing Mutialatus to relinquish when Kristen, having just been rescued by Thorrn, grabbed a rope and swung out of his sight, making him realize her act had not been suicidal at all. Dangling on the rope, Kristen shot a powerful beam of energy at Darth Mutialatus, shattering the shard and sending him flying against a tower, where he clung to the base, hundreds of feet above the molten lava. Kristen landed on the tower and begged him to realize the Jedi were not the enemy of the galactic population. Claiming everyone on the planet was a lost cause, Mutialatus leaped off the tower. But he landed on top of a Delta-7 ship. Darth Mutialatus then threw the pilot out and took control of the ship before flying it far away from the battle, never to return to the Third Order, which was subsequently devastated beyond repair bringing the fight on Mustafar to a swift conclusion. Death (post 238 BBY) Following his escape, Darth Mutialatus and his apprentice, Darth Vadermort, proceeded to focus entirely on advancing the Grand Plan, a Sith imperative focused on destroying the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic and finishing what the late Third Order had started. For many years, Mutialatus trained Vadermort and burdened him with studying the Force. When his master was no longer of use to him, Vadermort turned on the Sith and swiftly disposed of him, per what was expected of him. When Vadermort's calculations for his scheme were complete, Darth Mutialatus was slain by his apprentice, who went on to take the Bith Rugess Nome as his apprentice, naming him Darth Tenebrous. Physical description Darth Mutialatus had a green head with black eyes and a perpetual evil snarl. He also possessed a mask which he wore to conceal his identity as he delved further and further into the Dark side. Mutialatus was small and stocky, always walking around on large mechanical legs that elevate him to seven feet in height. To conceal his legs and diminutive stature, he wears a black hood with grey linings, done over with a long black cloak to conceal it. He also has detached, white hands and matching feet usually perched atop a platform above his mechno-legs. Personality and traits Darth Mutialatus was a proud and passionate Dark Jedi who fiercely upheld ancient Sith teachings and thought that everyone in the galaxy should be judged by them, holding Sith culture to be superior. He believed his power and self-righteousness, coupled with the honor of being one out of trillions selected by the Sith as an apprentice to carry on the Rule of Two, gave him the authority to punish those he deemed unwilling or incapable of following the Sith's moral code. He resented the Jedi and believed them to be foolish for desiring to protect the galaxy from terrorism, but not from anything else. Mutialatus saw his warped views as justice, but they ultimately amounted to a form of might makes right. Such a mindset allowed him to kill hundreds of thousands of innocent lives, including the inhabitants of Alderaan, if he felt that they would get in the way of his overall plans for justice. As Xerin Hedashield stated, his desires were virtually reminiscent to that of a childish need to always be best. Like his mistress, Darth Mutialatus found it useful to maintain a system of followers drawn from the disenchanted aristocracy, disaffected paupers with long-gone noble origins, as well as criminal elements, and in their company spoke like one of them, lecturing on themes of absolute conquest and the proper order of society. But Darth Mutialatus' preoccupations were increasing the Sith Order's own dominion and stamping out opposition: the aristocracy's concerns were of no real interest to him. The alliance between Darth Mutialatus and those he commanded on the behalf of Xerin Hedashield was a natural result of his being chosen by the Sith themselves, of speaking for Hedashield in both political and military matters, and of promises to help them achieve their ends, but there should be no mistake — Darth Mutialatus was merely using them. Despite his intelligent and idealistic demeanor, Darth Mutialatus was actually known to be incredibly sinister, cruel, arrogant, egotistical, narcissistic, and overall a truly terrifying and monstrous individual from presumably the most diabolical kind much like Darth Bane and Darth Plageius. Similar to other Dark Lords of the Sith, Darth Mutialatus was motivated by fear, specifically the fear of losing his power. Darth Mutialatus also had something of a temper on him, often reacting abrasively when dealing with setbacks or criticism. When Yaxa and Marion failed to capture Kristen and Thorrn, Mutialatus yelled and insulted them and showed glee at the idea of Hedashield punishing them severely. He also struggled to keep his temper in check while listening to Hedashield's disparaging remarks, only to feel the dark side rising within him to the point where he was physically unable to keep it contained, causing him to take a defiant stand against Hedashield until his mistress sadistically tortured him with the Force, something she'd been looking forward to. At first, Mutialatus sought to regain his mistress' approval which he lost as a result of his failure in her chamber, in spite of how Hedashield's criticism angered him. Though he projected the air of a loyal apprentice, especially in the presence of the Supreme Leader, Darth Mutialatus cunningly plotted his own path to power. Despite being more or less pure evil, Darth Mutialatus' redeeming quality seemed to be that he knew his limits, as when the Battle of Mustafar became too intense for his liking, he quickly abandoned Xerin Hedashield to escape, but refusing to help the Jedi put an end to the lost cause he had labelled the Third Order as, becoming an independent criminal until the day of his death. Powers and abilities Powers Dark side of the Force: Darth Mutialatus was an extremely fearsome Sith Lord and a nearly unstoppable force. In spite of his diminutive size, he was clearly a being to be feared as he often demanded respect from powerful individuals such as Kristen, Yaxa, and Marion. His mechanical legs obscured by his cloak made his demeanor even more fearsome. His immense power caught the eye of Xerin Hedashield, who could not resist bringing him under her wing. *'Telekinesis': Darth Mutialatus was able to move and influence objects through will alone, akin to generating immense concussive force generated by the dark side. Mutialatus' telekinesis was so proficient that he was able to levitate a giant metallic shard hundreds of feet in the air while he simultaneously dueled Kristen whilst standing on top of the shard. *'Force Cloak': Darth Mutialatus was also a master of the Force cloak ability, using it to destroy Captain Cole. *'Superhuman Strength': Despite his diminutive size, Darth Mutialatus possessed higher levels of superhuman strength, much greater than that of a human being twice his size, as he managed to throw a pilot out of a Delta-7 starfighter out of the vehicle in midair with ease. *'Superhuman Durability': Darth Mutialatus could easily withstand multiple injuries, especially impact trauma, such as falls from great heights. He managed to survive a shockwave from the Pearian Kristen, and later jump onto an Delta-7 ship from several stories without withstanding injuries. *'Superhuman Agility': Darth Mutialatus had agility and coordination greater than that of a human being, allowing him to easily keep up with Kristen in a fight and dodge the Pearian's attacks. He could easily fight even with his cloak on to impede his movements, often turning his cape into an advantage, such as when it whipped the face of a jail guard and broke his concentration. Abilities *'Master Lightsaber Duelist': Darth Mutialatus duelist of immense, nigh unparalleled skill. He was able to overpower many enemies, including the extremely skilled Jedi Master Deor. Using his lightsaber, he was able to contend with Kristen and even managed to disarm her. However, he was not strong enough to withstand Darth Vadermort, who ultimately slew his Master. *'Peak-Human Intelligence': Darth Mutialatus was not only strong in the Dark side, but also possessed an incredible intellect, although while holding incredible intelligence, he was still way surpassed by someone as intelligent as Xerin Hedashield's. Like his mistress, Darth Mutialatus found it useful to maintain a system of followers drawn from the disenchanted aristocracy, disaffected paupers with long-gone noble origins, as well as criminal elements, and in their company pretended to share their interests. *'Master Tactician': Darth Mutialatus was a formidable strategist who notably had years of experience in tactical warfare, and so became a very efficient leader and tactician. He led the Third Order for a decade, and while Xerin Hedashield frequently told him what to do, he often made his own decisions, sometimes without advance warning provided to him. *'Charisma': In spite of his ugly visage, the Dark Lord was able to convince many people to follow him, though he also used false conscription and blackmail to get beings to follow the Order. In the presence of the disenchanted aristocracy, Mutialatus spoke like one of them, lecturing on themes of absolute conquest and the proper order of society, even though his preoccupations were increasing the Sith Order's own dominion and stamping out opposition and the aristocracy's concerns were of no real interest to him. The alliance between Darth Mutialatus and those he commanded on the behalf of Xerin Hedashield was a natural result of his being chosen by the Sith themselves, of speaking for Hedashield in both political and military matters, and of promises to help them achieve their ends. *'Leadership Skills': Darth Mutialatus was a very competent leader, welding a tyrannical and completely ruthless - though highly effective - command of his followers demonstrated throughout both the Conflict of the Pearian and the Conflict of the Numbers. Relationships Xerin Hedashield ]] Darth Mutialatus respected Xerin Hedashield. After becoming her right-hand man and apprentice, he obeyed her every command, usually without question. He held a deep respect for his mistress and listened to her teachings closely. She considered him of great importance, believing that he was destined for greatness beyond imagining. However, upon the escapes of Kristen and of B'en'jamin Thorrn, Hedashield was infuriated and began rethinking her apprentice's future, planning to change his purpose or kill him due to his instability. Hedashield's faith in her apprentice was irreparably damaged, and the young woman began to see Mutialatus as little more than an instrument, calling him a wannabe galactic overlord. At first, Mutialatus sought to regain his mistress' approval which he lost as a result of his failure in her chamber, in spite of how Hedashield's criticism angered him. Though he projected the air of a loyal apprentice, especially in the presence of the Supreme Leader, Darth Mutialatus cunningly plotted his own path to power. Eventually, he deserted her altogether, believing that she had become insane with power, and leaving her to die. Captain Cole Darth Mutialatus thought Cole, Captain of the Third Order, was a loyal servant, as he was shocked when Cole seemingly defected. It was formerly believed that Cole wanted to impress Mutialatus enough to become his apprentice by doing what the Dark Lord could not by murdering the Supreme Leader. In reality, he was horrified by Darth Mutialatus' extreme and often murderous methods, and had grown disenchanted with the Sith. Cole's ex-idol stabbed him in his right breast when he had this impression. Third Order members Those who served the Third Order followed Darth Mutialatus while he operated under Xerin Hedashield, fighting as the upper echelon of his army during the Conflict of the Numbers. However, Mutialatus did not take kindly to failure or disloyalty from her servants, and he gleefully ensured those who had failed to carry out important tasks paid the price. The Dark Lord of the Sith saw them as little more than dispensable servants. Kristen B'en'jamin Thorrn Appearances *''Across the Portal: Interference'' *''Across the Portal: Insurgence'' *''Across the Portal: Intuition'' References Category:Across the Portal characters Category:Villains Category:Males Category:Characters Category:Third Order characters Category:Antagonists Category:Adults Category:Commanders Category:Murderers Category:High body count Category:Iconic characters Category:D.I.T. characters Category:Sith Category:Unnamed characters